David Barber

Joined Artfinder: Oct. 2015

Artworks for sale: 74

(11)

United Kingdom

Updates from David Barber's studio

  • Sketching

    Sketching

    Sketching at 'The Valley of the Rock', Devon

    11 March 2024
    Plein Air painting

    Plein Air painting

    Painting on my local village green.

    11 March 2024

    Timelapse of a still life painting

    In this video I demonstrate the process of painting a still life.

    11 March 2024
    Plein air

    Plein air

    I love to paint directly from life whether it be still life or outside 'en plein air'. I do paint from photographs every now and then, but nowhere near as much as I used to; I simply don't enjoy the process. Painting from life allows a much greater insight into the subtleties of the subject and, I believe, results in a much more honest rendition. I also enjoy the challenge of capturing a moment as it happens. We live in a world that many people experience second hand via mobile phones and tablets. I want to experience a much more direct relationship with my subject. My paintings are therefore a record of my struggle with changing light, wind and weather and all the glorious beauty that I experience when I'm immersed in the landscape. When one paints from a photograph, the result is a painting of a photograph!

    14 May 2018
    Packaging materials

    Packaging materials

    21 December 2015
    Packaging and delivery

    Packaging and delivery

    The paintings are first wrapped in acid free tissue paper. The edges are protected with foam strips (panels are sandwiched between hardboard) and on larger paintings the canvas will be protected further between two sheets of 3mm hardboard. All of this then goes inside a double walled cardboard box. I use parcel force global to deliver the paintings. They usually arrive with the customer within 2-5 working days after shipping, depending on where in the world they are being sent.

    21 December 2015
    Cumbria, my source of inspiration!

    Cumbria, my source of inspiration!

    15 December 2015
    Me at work!

    Me at work!

    As well as painting I also make pottery!

    15 December 2015
    My Studio

    My Studio

    My work is created at my home studio in my garden. The studio is a converted garage that has been fitted out to my requirements. It has a wood burning stove that allows me to work throughout the cold winter months and has had several additional windows added to provide good lighting. My easel is positioned next to a north facing window and whenever possible I try to work from natural light, as this allows me to judge the colours of my paintings accurately. In certain conditions, bright sunlight, night time etc, working in natural light conditions isn't possible, and so, I have a bank of lights that operate at the higher end of the spectrum (around 5500 kelvin) imitating natural light conditions. The importance of consistent lighting is often overlooked by artists and I've found that it's the only way to ensure that the colours that I put onto the canvas will retain their vividness in the variety of lighting conditions that the painting may be exhibited in.

    24 October 2015